


Love

by slashyrogue



Series: Things to Tell Your Boyfriend [2]
Category: Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013), Hannibal Extended Universe - Fandom
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, breakups and makeups
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 17:05:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7853698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashyrogue/pseuds/slashyrogue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Navigating Nigel's life through "I Love You," from the first person he tells to the one person he wants to say it to every day for the rest of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love

The first person Nigel said, “I love you” to was his mother.

He could remember the warmth in her eyes at his declaration at six years old, and even now remembered what it looked like to see that look fade away into nothing as she died when he was fourteen. 

The years that followed were filled with Nigel being shuffled between orphanages and foster homes. His heart was hardened so much that love was out of the fucking question until he lay sore and damaged in a bed atop a tiny café, listening to the beautiful music that kept him alive. 

Nigel fell in love with Gabi Ibanescu even before he laid his eyes on her. 

He’d watched her walk away with Charlie when they cops had him in cuffs, eyes stinging but not letting out the emotion he could feel burning his heart to cinder at the ease in which she leaned into a stranger when it hadn’t been so long since she had been his. 

Prison had been a cakewalk, the anger had kept him strong and what fights he didn’t start he always finished. 

Darko had been the one to tell him to go to the States when he got out, make a new start and forget the shit that Bucharest had to offer, so Nigel went to California. The string of women in and out of his life felt never-ending, nameless blank faces that were only bodies to indulge in as often as he liked, until a year into his life in the States when he ended an argument about macaroni at the mini mart. It was this incident that brought Adam Raki into Nigel’s life.

Adam was unlike anyone he’d ever met. 

He wasn’t afraid of Nigel at all, often staring at him like Nigel was something he wanted to discover, and that first walk home from the mini mart Nigel learned all about the differences between the right macaroni and wrong one. He didn’t have the heart to tell Adam he hated fucking macaroni and cheese. 

The first time they kissed was a revelation; a warmth inside of Nigel burrowing out from all directions and he couldn’t keep his hands off of Adam after, which suited Adam just fine. 

It was around six months into whatever it was they were doing when Nigel realized that Adam was going to be the third person he said, “I love you” to, and promptly broke it off then and there. 

Adam was confused, but let him leave without bothering to follow though part of Nigel kept listening for him to call after him. 

He didn’t need this, not again. Every time he let himself want this, to feel this, the person on the other end was gone. 

Two weeks later Nigel realized he was an asshole because Adam was gone anyway wasn’t he? He’d thrown him to the side this time, just like Gabi had done, and now here he was alone again. 

Nigel spent another week trying to think of ways to apologize, to explain, only to run into Adam at the mini mart. He’d walked in looking for beer, wine, any fucking thing to get the hollow feeling out of his chest, and heard, “I need the black box, you said you had the black one and it’s not here like you…” 

Adam was standing at the counter, hands at his sides and balled up in anger. 

Nigel did the only thing he could think of and walked up behind him, covering Adam’s hands in his hugging tightly. “Breathe.” 

Adam shuddered, wordlessly leaning back against him, and Nigel looked at the clerk with a glare. “If I come in here tomorrow without that fucking macaroni being here, I swear to fuck…” 

The man nodded, eyes wide, and Nigel turned Adam towards the door though his Star’s feet suddenly stopped moving. 

“What are you doing?,” Adam whispered, moving out of his arms, “You said…” 

His eyes were hard, angry, and he’d never looked so fucking beautiful. 

Nigel let out a breath, “I’m an asshole, Star,” he saw Adam flinch at the nickname. 

“You said, ‘I can’t do this anymore’ and you didn’t come back,” his hands balled up at his sides, “We….” 

Nigel reached out to touch his cheek and Adam stepped further away, knocking over a several bags of chips though Nigel just moved closer. “I was a fucking idiot, Star, I…” he put his hands up and stopped, “I love you.” 

Adam blinked, “Oh.” 

Nigel stepped forward again, taking his hands and smiling as Adam let him. “I was scared, darling, and I’m sorry. I…” 

Adam stepped in closer, “I missed you,” he confessed, Nigel pulling him in, “I couldn’t sleep, and I…I don’t know if I love you but I want to find out.” 

Nigel leaned in and Adam closed the gap between them, their lips touching softly as both let out a sigh at the contact. His arms were tight to Adam’s back as they tasted each other, the feel of contact again after the time apart making Nigel groan. They were so caught up that they almost didn’t hear the clerk clearing his throat. 

Adam broke their kiss and turned, frowning, though Nigel was the one who hissed, “What?” 

The man looked terrified, though he still asked, “Can you please take it somewhere else?” 

Nigel’s lip curled just as Adam said, “Sure, we can’t have sex here anyway.” 

Nigel couldn’t argue with that. 

The rest of the night Nigel said, “I love you,” over and over, and in the morning woke up to say it again. 

It didn’t take long for Adam to say it back, but that’s another story entirely.


End file.
